Page 1 of 1 Two engineers who were part of the elite team that designed and developed the iconic McLaren F1 have set up an automotive engineering consultancy whose first project is an agile 1,000bhp/tonne sportscar, dubbed the Freestream T1. Developed for road and track, the ultra lightweight 2-seater will offer a near Formula One performance experience comparable to that of a Le Mans prototype with highly resolved aerodynamics and chassis making the vehicle predictably safe and responsive to driver inputs.

Following a year of design and development, founders Ben Scott-Geddes and Graham Halstead expect to launch the £150,000 car later this year. Interest has already been expressed by half a dozen customers privileged to preview the project and keen to join what will be an exclusive club since the company will only make 25 cars a year for the entire planet. With the first prototype nearing completion the two engineers have moved into brand-new premises that form part of a new automotive business park located at Farnham in Surrey.

Commenting on the inspiration for the Freestream T1 Ben Scott-Geddes said: "We wanted to demonstrate our ability to design from scratch a no-compromise but usable and reliable sports car with the whole vehicle meticulously engineered from the ground up, so as to offer customers a truly unique experience with a full aerodynamic performance package which at present can only be found in a high formula racecar."

Commenting on the critical wind-tunnel testing co-founder Graham Halstead added: "As well as offering a unique racecar performance experience we were equally concerned to make the car as safe as possible. The result is an extremely stable aerodynamic platform to complement its feather weight of 465kg and compact powertrain which delivers 480bhp from a bespoke 2.4-litre V8 F1-specification engine. The driver and passenger will experience extremely rapid acceleration as well as 3g cornering and braking performance."

"Our aim is to move the performance envelope up to current sports-prototype levels thereby setting a new benchmark for a road car exemplified by its agility and handling abilities," said Scott-Geddes. "We've spoken to enthusiastic owners who have become frustrated and bored with their regular sports and race cars, whose potential is heavily restricted through constrained engineering and race formula regulations. In that respect we've torn up the rule book to give customers what they ultimately desire: a road car with an uncompromised yet safe performance experience. Page 1 of 1